Improvement in apparatus for solar-salt evaporation



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR SOLAR-SALT EVAPORATION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15, 11 I, dated July29, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. BOYNTON, of Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Mode of Evaporating Salt-Water for the Purpose ofManufacturing Salt; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof, reference being had to the letters ofreference marked thereon. I

Having been engaged for more than ten years last past in the manufactureof solar salt, I have become familiar with all its advantages anddisadvantages.

The salt-vats A will last for an indefinite period, being saturated andpreserved by the salt; but the covers B, which shield the vats in rainyweather, being exposed to the sun and rain, and not being saturated withsalt, will last on an average not more than ten years, or at least notwithout extensive repairs. The vats A only cover one-half the land, thecovers B occupying an equal space between the vats when shoved oft, toallow of the evaporation in the vats A. Thus onehalf of the salt-land iswasted, being only occupied by the covers B when. not over the vats A.Thereby the salt-lands, which are worth from three hundred to threethousand dollars p er acre, are one-half unproductive, being occupiedonly by the covers B when evaporation is going on in the vats.

The nature of my invention consists in using the covers B of salt-vats Ain evaporating the water in addition to the vats.

Solar salt is only made by the evaporation of the salt-Water in vats,and it can only be done in fair weather. During'rainy weather the vatsmust be shielded by a cover. These covers B are so arranged as that theycan be shoved on or off, according to the weather. WVhen the coversBare'off the vats, they occupy just as much land as the vats A. Thusone-half the land is wasted or used only for the covers B. The vats aremade of indefinite length,

though usually from one hundred to six hundred feet, and sixteen feetwide,leaving a space of land between the vats of sixteen feet wide (andas long as the vats) for the covers when shoved off the vats. The coversare used in sections of eighteen feet in length. Over these spaces Iplace'a trough or spout, O, as long as the covers B, having small holesin the lower side, or any equivalent thereto, for the salt-water to dripthrough slowly, and flow down over the covers B. The overhanging eavesof the covers B just reach over the sides of the two contiguous vats, sothat I the water 'as it drips from the roof of the covers B falls intothe vats. The troughs or spouts are made stationary midway between V thevats on arches D and E, so that when the covers B are shoved off thevats A'on the rails F the ridge of the covers will stand directly underthe troughs. By means of stopcocks I let the water into the troughs orspouts, or cut it off at pleasure. The covers are provided withfriction'rolls G G. By this means the covers are made to evaporate asmuch or more than the vats, because the covers with only a thin sheet ofwater on them will warm up in a short time, and the evaporationcommenceat once, while it takes more time for the body of Water in the vatstowarm up in the morning, so that the evaporation would be as rapid asfrom the covers.

H H are lap-pieces on the covers for cover ing the joints. By this meansalso the covers are preserved. The salt-vats never rot out,

being preserved by the salt, while the covers have to be renewed orrepaired every few years.

By my invention the covers B, as well as the vats, are saturated withsalt, and conse quently preserved. Thus by this new and usefulimprovement in the mode of solar evip, oration of salt-water, as beforespecified, I

double the evaporation-surface on a given amount of land, and likewiseget a more rapid I I The useand application of the covers B of thesalt-vats Afor the evaporation of salt-water by solar influence, in themanner above specified.

, JOHN F. BOYNTON. [n .1 Inpresence of w. v. v. ROSA, L. G. Hovr.

